A protected sidewalk will be installed on South Estes Drive in front of University Place this week, as the Chapel Hill shopping center continues to undergo extensive renovations and redevelopment.

The town government shared an alert to the community on social media Thursday. To make room for the sidewalk, one of the westbound lanes on South Estes between Fordham Boulevard and Willow Drive will be closed. One of the left turn lanes on Fordham Boulevard to South Estes will be closed as well.

“We’re very excited,” Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said of University Place’s overall redevelopment. “The whole place is gonna look great and [will] be very accessible by foot, bike, transit. But there are some construction pains you have to go through to get there.

“I know that people are a little stressed with some of the other construction projects going on,” she continued, “but once these projects are finished, it’s going to be awesome.”

The University Place redevelopment initially began last fall as property was fenced off to prepare for the construction of apartments. Demolition on parts of the shopping center, including the space formerly occupied by Southern Season, began in March. The apartment project, 900 Willow, is continuing — with the parking deck and apartment complex structures almost entirely built. Meanwhile, the east side of the property has been leveled and work is underway to construct new store fronts on the existing building and several separate retail buildings.

Estes Drive is also going through its own extensive redevelopment, though the Town of Chapel Hill’s Estes Drive Connectivity Project is unrelated to University Place’s redevelopment. The connectivity project is estimated to finish by next spring.

Editor’s Note: Chapel Hill Media Group is a tenant of University Place, having first moved there in 2016.

 

Photo via the Town of Chapel Hill.

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